# Life without TV **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [February 1, 2014, 7:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/life-without-tv/680294 "2014-02-01T19:14:12Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/left_hand_of_dorkness/32/7156_2.png) [@Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Left_Hand_of_Dorkness)\ **Post date:** [February 2, 2014, 4:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/life-without-tv/680294/21 "2014-02-02T04:27:36Z")
You need to fire your secretary. You would not BELIEVE the moronic gibberish he’s been posting under your name. ---
**Author:** ![Hilarity\_N.Suze](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hilarity_n.suze/32/6223_2.png) [@Hilarity\_N.Suze](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hilarity_N.Suze)\ **Post date:** [February 2, 2014, 4:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/life-without-tv/680294/22 "2014-02-02T04:53:35Z")
I grew up with a parent who had the TV on all the time. When I was a kid I concluded that, okay, except for Saturday morning, TV was for grownups. Then I got older, watched some of the TV show on at the time, and concluded that TV was for kids, and I was grown up so I didn’t need it. Didn’t have a tv as an adult until my mother came to visit and was horrified that we didn’t have one, so she bought one (mainly so she could keep up with her soap operas while visiting us, I think). During the course of this and one other visit she got me totally addicted to _Dallas_, and I watched other things, kinda obsessively. Then, around 1988, we got rid of the TV again and didn’t have another set until 2001, except that we would on occasion rent one for a couple of weeks, watch a lot of movies on tape, and these occasions usually coincided with football playoffs, for some reason. One weird thing that happened was, one of my kids’ teachers decided the class would have a tv-free week and then write up what they did during that week and how their lives had changed. My kid told her we didn’t have one and worried about how he’d get credit for the week. Teacher actually called me up to confirm that we did not have a tv set. I think she felt sorry for us. It must have really surprised her that a kid who grew up without a tv set could be the top student in her gifted class. ---
**Author:** ![Spud](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/spud/32/347_2.png) [@Spud](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spud)\ **Post date:** [February 2, 2014, 5:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/life-without-tv/680294/23 "2014-02-02T05:06:05Z")
I am the yin to your yang. I just bought my second 50 inch TV last night (it was a deal I couldn’t pass up) because the 37 inch in the family room just wasn’t doing it. We now have 7 TVs and a DVD player in the van. I don’t read books though. Sometimes my friends will talk about great authors (like I care) and I just stare blankly at them. I fill my time while not reading watching TV, running a puppy mill, eating fast food, and smoking. ---
**Author:** ![CatherineZeta](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/e95f7d/32.png) [@CatherineZeta](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CatherineZeta)\ **Post date:** [February 2, 2014, 5:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/life-without-tv/680294/24 "2014-02-02T05:45:54Z")
> [@Hilarity\_N.Suze](#): > > One weird thing that happened was, one of my kids’ teachers decided the class would have a tv-free week and then write up what they did during that week and how their lives had changed. My kid told her we didn’t have one and worried about how he’d get credit for the week. Teacher actually called me up to confirm that we did not have a tv set. I think she felt sorry for us. It must have really surprised her that a kid who grew up without a tv set could be the top student in her gifted class. Do you think anyone’s life would change from not watching TV for a week, anyway? No offense to your kid’s teacher, but the assignment seems a bit silly. I watched Law & Order SVU all the time in high school and if I’d had to give it up for a week my paper would be, “I read magazines/stuff on the internet/took a nap instead. The end.” Was your son given an alternative thing to give up for a week? It depends on the age of the kids, but I think giving up smart phones for a week would be a more “life changing” experience, although I don’t think anyone would follow through with an experiment like that. Probably wouldn’t go over well with parents either. ---
**Author:** ![Hilarity\_N.Suze](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hilarity_n.suze/32/6223_2.png) [@Hilarity\_N.Suze](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hilarity_N.Suze)\ **Post date:** [February 2, 2014, 5:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/life-without-tv/680294/25 "2014-02-02T05:50:09Z")
> [@CatherineZeta](#): > > Was your son given an alternative thing to give up for a week? I think he gave up the Internet or maybe his Game Boy. Not a big deal for him anyway. Also not the strangest assignment. ---
**Author:** ![drewtwo99](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/d07c76/32.png) [@drewtwo99](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/drewtwo99)\ **Post date:** [February 2, 2014, 5:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/life-without-tv/680294/26 "2014-02-02T05:52:28Z")
> [@Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](#): > > You need to fire your secretary. You would not BELIEVE the moronic gibberish he’s been posting under your name. My secretary has read your post to me and I have instructed them to type this message in response (including this opening sentence you are reading right now): Thank you for such a kind compliment! I never knew anyone thought so highly of my posts on The Straight Dope Message Board. I hope you will continue to enjoy things that make youfeel they are, “stimulating and interesting” as you evidently have found them to be so far! ---
**Author:** ![Idle\_Thoughts](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/838e76/32.png) [@Idle\_Thoughts](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Idle_Thoughts)\ **Post date:** [February 2, 2014, 3:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/life-without-tv/680294/27 "2014-02-02T15:10:38Z")
> [@zoid](#): > > Dear lord - another douchebag letting everyone know how much better they are than everyone else because they don’t indulge in the common mans idiocy. > > Do you really think this hasn’t been done hundreds of times? This is a warning for you, take insults to the Pit next time. ---
**Author:** ![ktribe808](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/b38774/32.png) [@ktribe808](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ktribe808)\ **Post date:** [February 2, 2014, 3:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/life-without-tv/680294/28 "2014-02-02T15:21:26Z")
> [@zoid](#): > > Dear lord - another douchebag letting everyone know how much better they are than everyone else because they don’t indulge in the common mans idiocy. > > Do you really think this hasn’t been done hundreds of times? Obviously I do not. Of all the people I know, I am the ONLY one like this and I asked a honest question and got a bunch of judgmental crap. However I am glad I posted this oh-so-its-been done-hundreds-of-times question as it has made me realize that I am also wasting far too much time on the internet, you know - like here. Yeah, don’t let the door hit me on the way out. Don’t worry, it will not. To the few who took the time to post a non-sarcastic reply - thank you. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Spice\_Weasel](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/spice_weasel/32/5435_2.png) [@Spice\_Weasel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spice_Weasel)\ **Post date:** [February 2, 2014, 3:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/life-without-tv/680294/29 "2014-02-02T15:30:35Z")
> [@ktribe808](#): > > Obviously I do not. Of all the people I know, I am the ONLY one like this and I asked a honest question and got a bunch of judgmental crap. However I am glad I posted this oh-so-its-been done-hundreds-of-times question as it has made me realize that I am also wasting far too much time on the internet, you know - like here. Yeah, don’t let the door hit me on the way out. Don’t worry, it will not. > > To the few who took the time to post a non-sarcastic reply - thank you. 🙂 I’m sure it feels to you like this is a pile-on, but if you re-read the thread I think you’ll find that _most_ people posted a non-sarcastic reply. There’s no reason to conclude you’re not welcome here. Rather, you might conclude that a handful of people like being snarky. That will happen no matter what you post about. ---
**Author:** ![Snowboarder\_Bo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/snowboarder_bo/32/229_2.png) [@Snowboarder\_Bo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Snowboarder_Bo)\ **Post date:** [February 2, 2014, 10:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/life-without-tv/680294/30 "2014-02-02T22:07:39Z")
> [@drewtwo99](#): > > Psh, not to watch TV is so blasé. > > I’m so cool, I don’t even use the internet. I dictate all my instructions to a secretary who makes my posts for me. > [@Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](#): > > You need to fire your secretary. You would not BELIEVE the moronic gibberish he’s been posting under your name. Let’s go to the quarry and throw stuff down there! ---
**Author:** ![carnut](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carnut/32/3531_2.png) [@carnut](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carnut)\ **Post date:** [February 2, 2014, 10:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/life-without-tv/680294/31 "2014-02-02T22:40:03Z")
> [@ktribe808](#): > > I haven’t watched TV in years. I simply got tired of corporate and government-driven TV and I have absolutely no problem filling my time or being entertained. I run a private animal sanctuary, garden, read, play on the computer, experiment with new recipes, etc. I really don’t care if other people watch TV, I simply chose not to. > > The only time I have a problem is when I am at social events and people start talking about celebrities (like I care) or TV shows. Then I have to admit that I have no idea about who or what they are talking about. When I share that I do not watch TV, I get these looks like I have a horn growing out of my head or something. Surely I am not the only person on the planet who isn’t glued to the TV set! Somebody tell me that I am not the only one! You are not the only one. But (as others allude to this) I try not to be sanctimonious about it. I say things like “I don’t watch trashy tv shows; I read trashy books instead.” or “What? Give up video games to watch tv?” Seriously. I made the choice years ago when I stopped being able to stomach what passed for news. But it was a personal choice. It’s not like I always fill up my time with “better” options. Or even cheaper ones. Just a choice. ---
**Author:** ![zoid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/zoid/32/336_2.png) [@zoid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/zoid)\ **Post date:** [February 2, 2014, 11:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/life-without-tv/680294/32 "2014-02-02T23:41:52Z")
> [@Idle\_Thoughts](#): > > This is a warning for you, take insults to the Pit next time. Fair enough. Will not happen again. ---
**Author:** ![Accidental\_Martyr](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ce7236/32.png) [@Accidental\_Martyr](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Accidental_Martyr)\ **Post date:** [February 3, 2014, 3:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/life-without-tv/680294/33 "2014-02-03T03:20:38Z")
> [@Mahaloth](#): > > [The classic article on this.](http://www.theonion.com/articles/area-man-constantly-mentioning-he-doesnt-own-a-tel,429/) That’s funny. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Grrr](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/grrr/32/146_2.png) [@Grrr](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Grrr)\ **Post date:** [February 3, 2014, 4:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/life-without-tv/680294/34 "2014-02-03T04:02:17Z")
> [@Spice\_Weasel](#): > > I’m sure it feels to you like this is a pile-on, but if you re-read the thread I think you’ll find that _most_ people posted a non-sarcastic reply. There’s no reason to conclude you’re not welcome here. Rather, you might conclude that a handful of people like being snarky. That will happen no matter what you post about. :rolleyes: ---
**Author:** ![Little\_Nemo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/little_nemo/32/3120_2.png) [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)\ **Post date:** [February 3, 2014, 4:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/life-without-tv/680294/35 "2014-02-03T04:22:36Z")
> [@ktribe808](#): > > Obviously I do not. Of all the people I know, I am the ONLY one like this and I asked a honest question and got a bunch of judgmental crap. However I am glad I posted this oh-so-its-been done-hundreds-of-times question as it has made me realize that I am also wasting far too much time on the internet, you know - like here. Yeah, don’t let the door hit me on the way out. Don’t worry, it will not. > > To the few who took the time to post a non-sarcastic reply - thank you. 🙂 Okay, so you don’t watch TV and now you won’t be spending time on the internet. What other pastimes are you considering not doing? Maybe you could take up not playing sports and not learning a musical instrument or not reading books. Seriously, why define yourself by things you don’t do? For example, I don’t collect stamps - but I’ve never felt the need to tell people I don’t collect stamps. ---
**Author:** ![Equipoise](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/equipoise/32/151_2.png) [@Equipoise](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Equipoise)\ **Post date:** [February 3, 2014, 7:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/life-without-tv/680294/36 "2014-02-03T07:52:04Z")
I only watch TV when the Golden Globes and Academy Awards are on. We gave up our DirecTV several years ago although we could have it turned back on if they’d ever let me pick and choose what channels I want. Thing is though, 1. I stopped because I was absolutely obsessive about it. We have thousands of VHS tapes full of TV shows and science shows and history shows and awards shows and movie review shows and specials and skating and all kinds of things. If I watched it, I almost always taped it. If I couldn’t watch it, I’d tape it. My husband built shelves and shelves and more shelves. Shelves full of Nova and Twin Peaks and Connections and MST3K and Ren & Stimpy and Due South and Cupid and TV Nation and Mr. Wizard and Dr. Who and ALL kinds of other things. When we last moved 10 years ago I gave away hundreds of tapes, things like full seasons of ER and Chicago Hope, a buncha other stuff including dozens and dozens of skating and gymnastics competitions, and it didn’t make a dent into what we still have. We had 2 Tivos constantly full of all kinds of crap (figuratively crap, it was all good stuff IMHO) that I’d dub down onto videotape. I’d tape ENTIRE Olympics then dub down cutting out all the commercials and bits I wasn’t interested in. I was obsessed with TV and it was exhausting and expensive. When I quit cold turkey it was refreshing and took a great weight, one that I’d put there myself, off my shoulders. 2. I KNOW I’m missing good stuff. I KNOW there’s lots of quality TV that I’m unfortunately missing. It’s people who say that there’s nothing good on TV are full of shit and need to be slapped upside the head. The great thing now is that most of the good stuff is available on DVD or Hulu streaming or YouTube or whatever. I have no need anymore for obsessively taping in fear that it’s my only chance to see something or won’t be able to see it again. For the past few years I’ve been in manic movie mode, going to the theater a LOT (I saw 302 movies in the theater in 2013, which is much less than the previous two years) but if in the future by choice or necessity I stop going to the theater so much, I can catch up with any of the great shows I’ve missed. I like knowing that they’re going to be available to me. So no, I don’t watch TV, but I am so not sanctimonious about it. ---
**Author:** ![don\_t\_ask](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e68b1a/32.png) [@don\_t\_ask](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/don_t_ask)\ **Post date:** [February 3, 2014, 8:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/life-without-tv/680294/37 "2014-02-03T08:26:14Z")
I had no TV for about a year before 9/11. That all happened at night here. I ran up the road to watch what was happening at the pub and next day got a TV. About 3 years ago I lost my TV signal for about a year. Both times all I really missed was watching sport. It certainly changed how easy I now find it to not watch things. At the moment the only shows I watch each week are \*Justified \*and _True Detective_. There has to be some compelling reason for me to even start watching a show and even then I don’t need much encouragement to simply stop. ---
**Author:** ![Lydia\_Phalfav](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/a6a055/32.png) [@Lydia\_Phalfav](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lydia_Phalfav)\ **Post date:** [February 3, 2014, 4:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/life-without-tv/680294/38 "2014-02-03T16:43:16Z")
I still watch TV, but only through Netflix. When I want to watch TV, I just want to sit there uninterrupted for an hour or so or I can pause it when I want to get up & take a break. The constant interruption from ads drove me nuts along with there generally being nothing good to watch on a regular basis. (There are only so many L&O reruns a person can stand…) The hubby & I decided that we were paying $50 a month (2005ish for DirecTV) or so to watch a bunch of shitty TV with 20m of ads. The hubby likes to go out & pick up whole seasons of his favorite sci fi shows anyway, so we just decided to stay a season or 2 behind & just save money by picking them up on DVD anyway & eventually picking up Netflix to view instead. I don’t see the fact that we don’t watch TV as being better than others, it’s just that the constant stream of annoyances & generally crappier programming over the years don’t justify the cost for us. Instant entertainment is what the internet is for. ---
**Author:** ![This\_Just\_In\_2](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/bbe5ce/32.png) [@This\_Just\_In\_2](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/This_Just_In_2)\ **Post date:** [February 3, 2014, 5:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/life-without-tv/680294/39 "2014-02-03T17:05:40Z")
‘Giving up TV’ is no big deal because there are so many alternatives now - primarily the internet to satisfy entertainment needs. The OP states that they ‘play on the computer’ as an example. Life tip to the OP - people love talking about things that interest themselves. If you appear interested in the stories they tell (about celebrities, TV shows or any other topic) they probably won’t be looking at you like you have a horn on your head. Don’t mention your no-TV thing unless the conversation is actually about how many TV’s people own. Just say ‘I haven’t caught that show - sounds cool, what is it about?’ ---
**Author:** ![Vita\_Beata](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/a9a28c/32.png) [@Vita\_Beata](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Vita_Beata)\ **Post date:** [February 3, 2014, 5:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/life-without-tv/680294/40 "2014-02-03T17:43:47Z")
> [@This\_Just\_In\_2](#): > > ‘Giving up TV’ is no big deal because there are so many alternatives now - primarily the internet to satisfy entertainment needs. (snip) I agree with this. With all the multiple channels and offerings, it’s not unusual for tv watchers to have never experienced certain shows. We’re not all tuned into a modern version of the Ed Sullivan show on Sunday evenings anymore. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/life-without-tv/680294.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/life-without-tv/680294.md?page=3)